The subject application relates generally to a header for use with agricultural harvesters. In particular, the subject application relates to a wheel transport assembly for enabling the header to be converted from a harvesting configuration wherein the header may harvest crop to a transportation configuration wherein the header may be transported on roads from one location to another.
To increase harvesting efficiency, harvesters, such as combines, have increased in size and capacity. With this increase in capacity, the detachable header attached to the combine for picking a crop has increased in size as well. The increased size of the header has resulted in transportation difficulties in moving the header from field to field. In many instances, larger headers must be transported lengthwise down roads. As consequence, operators often use a separate trailer to transport the headers. As consequence, an operator is required to purchase and maintain a separate piece of trailer machinery, and the header must be returned to the trailer or the trailer brought to the header for transport. Other headers include wheels that can be attached for transportation and detached for operation. However, such wheels can be heavy and difficult to remove and reattach.
Other headers include integral wheels for harvesting and transportation. In some of these headers, the transport wheels swing beneath the header frame between harvesting and transport positions. In situations where there is sufficient ground clearance to permit free swinging of the wheels under the header frame, the wheels only touch the ground during header transport. An advantage of such systems is that the wheels do not touch the ground during harvesting. Consequently, the header cutterbar can cut very close to the ground during a harvesting operation. A disadvantage of such apparatus, however, is that on certain combines and tire combinations there is insufficient ground clearance to permit free swinging of the wheel under the header frame between the transport and harvesting positions. Under such circumstances, the wheel can contact the ground during deployment which can result in part failure such as damage to the wheel, its support structure and/or the actuator that moves the wheel between the transport and harvesting positions.